Heal
by sakurak504
Summary: Levi leaves Petra and she is completely broken. One day, she saves him and nearly dies. Will he realize how much she really means to him? Rivetra (and sorry for the crappy title).


_School is finally out and over with! FINALLY! Still extremely busy, but a bit better. This, as per usual, is about arguments and accidents. Yay (not really). As a heads up, Levi's going to be a huge dickface in this story. Another thing, this story is kinda futuristic I guess cause there's some interesting gear. Have fun with that. Enjoy!_

 ** _I do not own the characters of Shingeki no Kyojin!_**

* * *

Petra snuggled into Levi's arms, enjoying his warmth. She looked down at their entwined hands, where two rings sat on their right hand ring fingers. They had bought them as gifts for each other. On their other hands sat matching wedding bands. She sighed contentedly, feeling happy and loved.

Married. They were married. It was a concept so new to them, even though they had lived together for such a long time. Laughing as they walked on the beach shore, Petra leaned her head against Levi's shoulder.

"I love you," she murmured. Before he could say it back,

She woke up. The sun rays streamed through the window and into the room, blinding her. They shone on the other side of the bed, cold and empty. Petra sighed and groaned. It had been such a good dream!

She brought her left hand to her face to shield her eyes from the blinding rays, feeling cold metal on her face. Yes, they were married. Yes, she loved him. Yes, they had been happy. Extremely happy. But things began to fall apart. Work got busier and they stopped being sweet to each other. One day, Levi never came home. A few days later, Rico told her that he had completely moved out. When she tried to talk to him, he had stared her down and she had backed off, questions never answered.

She spotted him with a woman a few days later and her heart completely shattered. She stopped seeing him and cried in the darkness by herself. They were still married though, weren't they? She still wore her wedding band and their promise ring, now a broken promise.

Levi finally had the guts to say to her, "I don't love you anymore."

She had forced a smile, said she understood, and fled as soon as she could. That day, she had run to Hanji and poured her heart out, the only person she trusted enough to cry to. And even then, when her best friend wrapped her arms around the sobbing woman, Petra longed to be in Levi's arms, which could calm her down and make her feel safe in a second. Now, a few months later, the hurt hadn't dulled a single bit. Everything in their house reminded her of him and it felt like an arrow would pierce her heart each time.

She stopped eating regularly, as she had no appetite most of the time. She stopped smiling, and there always seemed to be tears in her eyes. Out in public, she forced on smiles and tried to be the normal Petra. Most of her friends knew that that Petra was gone the Petra now was a just a shadow of her old self. She would write in her spare time in diaries and do other things. Being the sweet angel she was, she would knit and donate the products to orphanages and charities.

"Oh Levi," she whispered, feeling the cold bedsheets, "when will you come back?"

* * *

Levi walked around his apartment. It was so dirty compared to his home, the home where Petra now lived alone. He shook all thoughts of her off. He wasn't going to be thinking about her during the holiday season. His birthday was today, while hers had already passed without him sending her anything or even looking her in the eye and wishing her a happy birthday.

The doorbell rang and he went to answer it. He imagined it to be soft, ginger locks but instead, he saw brown locks.

"Hey Levi!" Anka said cheerfully. He grunted in reply and let her in.

"Happy birthday and Merry Christmas!" she said while patting him on the back and giving him a gentle hug. Anka was his good friend. "I found a package outside your door."

She gave it to him and he took it hesitantly. He flinched when he saw the address but opened it nonetheless. Inside it was a colorful (in a good way) scarf. He scoffed at it and handed it to Anka. A card fell out of the box and he opened and read it before closing it and leaving it on the counter.

 _Happy birthday and Merry Christmas, Levi. You were always complaining about the cold weather so here's a scarf to keep you warm._

 _~Petra_

"You don't want it, Levi?" Anka asked, holding the scarf in her hands.

"No. You can have it. Or you can throw it away. I don't care," Levi said as he walked into the living room.

 _He won't even accept a present from her? What even happened?_ Anka thought.

* * *

The new year rolled around and Petra spent it with Hanji and Erwin. She kept seeing Levi with her, although she doubted that he was actually having an affair. He wasn't that type of person and she knew it.

It was a cold winter day with snow steadily falling towards the ground. She was walking in town, catching up on errands and mailing things to her father. Walking on the side walk, she spotted Levi with her, about to cross the street. They were on the same side of the street and as Levi began to cross the street, she spotted a car that was hurtling uncontrollably towards him. Her eyes widened at the thought of what would be happening.

Before she knew it, she was running and yelling "Levi." As she got closer to him, the car sped towards him as well, which he couldn't see.

Levi!

He heard his name and turned around, startled. Before he could turn around all the way, he felt soft and small hands pushing him forward. It seemed that everything in that moment began moving in slow motion. He stumbled forward and caught a glimpse of bright locks and amber eyes. A car smashed into his savior, sending her flying towards the tree in front, since the road turned. His eyes widened as the person was smashed against the tree, a sickening crunch ringing in his ears.

It didn't take long for him to put it all together. Bright hair and eyes, a small figure, and pale skin.

"Petra?" he whispered and ran to the tree, where his suspicions were confirmed. Petra's eyes were losing their glow and her face was growing even paler. Blood had spurted out of her nose and splattered onto the right side of her face. Her body was bent at an awkward angle as well.

"Petra!" He felt her back, slightly relieved to feel that it wasn't broken. Blood was flowing out of the many cuts on her body and she was growing weaker, he could tell.

"Levi..." she whispered, as soon as his face came into view. Her vision was getting blurry and everything was getting darker. She felt him tug her away from the tree and rest her in his lap, while her body screamed in protest.

"Anka! Call an ambulance! Hurry! She's losing blood!" he yelled. She heard Anka yell back but her words weren't coherent.

"Levi," she whispered again.

"You're going to be okay, Petra. You're going to be okay," Levi said, rocking her gently in his arms.

She detected the panic in his eyes and smiled a little. "I'm glad that I can spend the rest of my time here," she murmured. He looked so confused.

"You made me so happy. Every moment was so happy. I'm so glad that I married you, because it was the best time of my life, however short that is." Her voice was getting breathy and it was becoming increasingly more difficult to talk.

"I always feel safe in your arms. It makes me feel so loved. I want to die here, Levi, where I feel warm, safe, and loved. I don't have the will to fight against death." Tears formed in her eyes and they rolled down her cheeks. She saw the tears in his eyes and with a huge amount of effort, brought her hand up to stroke his cheek.

"Before I leave, I want to tell you that I love you. I love you very much and I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. Thank you for making me so happy. I love you and... goodbye, Levi." Her eyes fluttered close and her hand fell at her side.

Levi grabbed her hand and yelled her name. His heart shattered and he let the tears fall down his cheeks. How could he have wasted the past months on a thought that was so stupid? How could he have ignored her feelings and left because he thought that she deserved much better? He could have spent the last months with her, making her happy and loved. Instead, he... he destroyed her heart.

 _I'm so sorry Petra._

* * *

She lay in the hospital bed, cold and limp with a breathing mask. The IV by her bed was dripping blood into her system. It wasn't just anyone's blood. It was his blood. After a short surgery which set her bones in place and gave her stitches, she was back in bed. Her heart had stopped multiple times during the surgery and he had watched, horrified, as the doctors tried to resuscitate his wife. She was okay now and because she was in stable condition, he headed to their home.

He walked through the house, noting the things that hadn't changed. His desk was exactly how he left it. Her desk, however, was a little different. A few more pictures of the two of them together sat on her desk and there was a little journal titled "Dear Levi" sitting on top.

He hesitantly opened the journal and began flipping through the entries, skipping some and reading others.

 _11/26_

 _Dear Levi,_

 _I can't eat anymore. The most I can eat is some yogurt. Any more than that will make me throw up. I weighed myself and I have lost ten pounds. I don't know what to do._

 _12/6_

 _Dear Levi,_

 _Today's my birthday. If anything, I would like to spend it with you. I'm turning a year older without you by my side. Didn't we promise to spend the rest of our lives together and grow old together?_

 _12/25_

 _Dear Levi,_

 _Happy birthday and Merry Christmas! I hope you like the package I sent you. I made something just for you in there. Check the bottom of it too._

During the last entry, he froze. His Christmas present. The scarf. It was handmade? By Petra? For him? He quickly closed the book and dialed Anka's phone.

"Anka?!" upon the call connecting.

"What's up, Levi?" she asked.

"Where's that scarf that I got for Christmas?"

"I thought you said you didn't want it?" she replied and he could imagine her raising her eyebrow.

"Well, something came up and I.. well, I want it. I never realized how special that scarf is." He sounded dejected.

"Okay, I'll bring it over, but you will listen to what I say," Anka said.

Before he could reply, she hung up. A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. She could guess where he was.

"Before I give it to you, I am going to say something." Anka took a deep breath and then began a rant.

"How the hell could you not tell that this was handmade? How could you have been so dense to not realize that Petra made this for you and poured her heart into her work? I watched her work on it and I watched the tears fall down her cheeks as she made this. She was always saying 'I hope he likes it. I want to give him something from the bottom of my heart.' Do you know how much faith she had in you? Do you even know the extent of her love for you? And yet, you just carelessly throw it away, as if it means nothing to her and nothing to you." Anka took the scarf and literally shoved the bottom of it into his face, where he could see his name embroidered in tiny, careful stitches.

Levi was so startled. She had carefully made this for him to keep him warm and let him feel her love. Yet, he had not realized it and had carelessly discarded it, discarded her heart as if it meant nothing to him. He slumped down onto the couch.

"You know that I'm close friends with her. I spent a lot of time with her, comforting her, telling her to forget you. She stubbornly refused each time, because she loves you so much. Hanji and I were always comforting her, because the two of us were the only ones who could fill up part of the void that you had left."

Anka took another breath while Levi could only sit there, speechless. Petra cried? His sweet and strong Petra, crying?

"And it hurt us too, watching her cry. Watching her pour out her heartbreak, watching her cry over someone who promised to love, protect, and cherish her. Why did you do that Levi? Why? You love her still, so why? Why did you refuse to see her?"

Levi processed all the words in his mind before opening his mouth to give a reply.

"Well, I... I thought that maybe, it would be better if she had someone more compassionate. I'm a real jackass and—" Levi was interrupted by Anka.

"You sure are one," she scoffed.

"—I thought that I wasn't good enough. It was a bad idea to have had second thoughts. I mean, look at where we are now. I guess it's really my fault that Petra got hurt." Levi stared down at his hands, feeling dejected and remorseful.

"Levi." Anka knelt and took his hands. "What you did cannot be changed. But what you can do, is get out of here and sit by her bedside with her. Comforting her, holding her hand, that's something that you can do. People in comas can hear their loved ones, you know."

The moment Anka finished her sentence, he stood up, muttered a quick thank you, and headed out the door.

 _Wait for me Petra_

* * *

"What?!" Levi whispered to the doctor.

"I said, it may be hard for her to wake up. Her mind is telling her that you don't care about her and she's not trying to fight against it," the doctor reiterated.

"What can I do?" Levi asked, desperate for her to wake up. He wanted to be able see those bright amber eyes again, twinkling and sparkling.

"This." The doctor held up electrodes and a monitor and other equipment. "Using this, we can connect your brain to hers. It's a pretty recent innovation and I've heard that it works pretty well. You can go into her mind and talk to her. However, it's kind of like a virtual reality game with a battlefield. The machine puts both of you into that kind of setting. You have to battle against her thoughts. You won't really die of course, you just have to attack her thoughts. It's really a one-sided battle. I went in there just to see how serious it really is, and believe me, it's really serious. You need to go and help her, now."

Levi nodded quickly and without hesitation, the doctor quickly hooked him up to the wires. The doctor nodded and stepped back.

"Good luck, Mr. Ackerman. Save her," he said.

"Of course I will," Levi replied and he closed his eyes.

A few moments later, something that looked like a maze showed up and he was placed into it. In the very center was a huge block of ice. Inside it was Petra, with her eyes closed and arms crossed over her chest.

"Petra!" Levi yelled and began the maze. He wouldn't give up. Not now, not when Petra needed him. As he stared at the block of ice, he could see her lips moving.

 _Levi... Save me..._

He could hear the thoughts that chanted and tormented her.

 _He doesn't love you._

 _He won't come for you._

 _He betrayed you._

 _He left you._

 _He doesn't need you.  
_

 _He only used you._

Those words compelled him to run faster through the maze, his amazing sense of direction aiding him. Soon, he reached the block of ice. As he reached it, a barrier stopped him. Fake Petras with gleaming crimson eyes appeared.

 _You won't be able to help her. We've dragged her down. You will never be able to save her._

Levi grimaced. He had left her.

Wait no. They were trying to throw him off. _Keep going Levi!_ he thought to himself.

"Petra!" he yelled. "Petra! Don't let it get to you! Don't believe it. Don't... Because I love you. I do. I do! Believe me Petra! Don't give up!"

 _She can't hear you._ The fake Petras scoffed.

"Petra... Come back..." he said.

"I can... I can hear his voice," Petra murmured, but it resonated everywhere. "Levi's voice... I can hear it. He's telling me to not give up..."

Petra's eyes opened and she glared everywhere.

"All of you, quiet! Levi loves me. He does. Otherwise, he wouldn't have married me. He wouldn't have spent each day with me. He wouldn't have whispered all those sweet things, showed me so much affection. He wouldn't have left believing that I was not suited with a 'stoic person.' He wouldn't have cried as I lay there. He wouldn't have held me like that! And most of all, he wouldn't be here, supporting me. He loves me. I know he does." Her tirade quieted all the voices and melted the ice around her. She fainted and fell out of the ice.

"Petra!" Levi surged forward and caught her. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled.

"You saved me again. I'm so glad..." She sighed and reached up to touch his cheek, stroking it gently. "I can touch you here, because it doesn't hurt and in real life, it might be a while before I recover."

She moved her hand to the back of his hand and pulled his head down, gently touching her lips to his. When they pulled away, Levi spoke. "No, you saved me. I would have been hit. Petra, I..."

Petra shook her head. "It's okay. I'm fine. I know why you left. I heard from Anka when she came to visit. I could hear her."

"You'll be safe now? You'll wake up?" Levi asked.

"Uh huh. I'll be okay. I'll wake up soon. Don't worry." Petra touched his cheek again. "You should go now. I'll see you soon." She smiled and the world went white.

* * *

He woke up in the hospital chair. The doctor noticed and began unhooking the wires.

"How did it go?"

"Good. She should be okay now. She promised to wake up and she rarely breaks promises," Levi replied while rolling his shoulders around. "How long was I in there?"

"Almost an hour," the doctor said. "Her brain waves are becoming more normal so she should be waking soon. However, due to her injuries, she may not be able to move for a while. She can probably talk but that will have to depend on her."

Levi thanked him and the doctor left to give them some alone time. Levi waited and held her hand, occasionally running his thumbs over the back of her hand. Her hands were getting warmer and he was beginning to fall asleep when he felt a light squeeze on his fingers. At first, he thought it was his imagination. But, when she squeezed again, he knew it was real and squeezed her hand back.

Her eyes slowly fluttered open and blinked a few times. They looked around the room before landing on him and focusing. She smiled weakly and squeezed his hand again. He knew it would be difficult for her to talk, so he smiled and squeezed her hand too.

"Welcome back," he said softly, brushing a stray hair from her face with his other hand. She smiled again and slowly reached up to touch his cheek. He could feel her shaking, a sign of how much effort it took her just to touch him like that. He could tell what she was saying just by her sweet touches. For now, that was enough.

* * *

"Ah, home again," Petra sighed, while Levi stood behind her to make sure that she wouldn't fall. She'd been recovering in the hospital and even had to learn to walk again. Levi had been there for her the entire time though.

Night came and Levi helped Petra into bed. As soon as he got into bed, she snuggled up to him and he wrapped his arms gently around her. Petra began trembling and then she accidentally let out a sob. She covered her mouth with her hands but her shaking got worse. Levi hugged her as close as he could without hurting her.

She cried out her heartbreak. She hadn't cried since the day he had left. She let it all out now. Levi gently stroked her hair, whispering "I'm sorry." His heart broke as he thought about how hurt she must've been. Soon, she calmed down but was still breathing heavily.

"I'm sorry Petra." She looked up at his face and noticed the regret in his eyes and features. She reached up and gave him a gentle kiss.

"Just don't leave me again, please," she whispered against his lips. He tightened his arms around her and buried his face in her hair before letting a few tears out too. Petra rubbed his back. They were broken, but they would heal together. They would help each other.

* * *

 _A/N: So this was something that's been something on my mind for a while. It's kinda long, sorry about that. I hoped you liked it! Leave a review if you'd like! Thanks for reading!_

 _Sakura-chan_


End file.
